


Persona Cross Tag Battle

by StrawberryTofu



Category: Persona 2, Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series, Persona | Revelations Persona
Genre: #TheGangsTrulyAllHere, Also just a fun fanservice-y fic so don't expect super poetic or deep writing, Also true to fanservice-y Persona Spin-off fashion, Except for well the navis and the IS party members, Gen, Spoilers for all main games, Swearing, There will be an original character, basically has any swear words you would expect to see in Persona
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-07-17 22:19:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16104962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StrawberryTofu/pseuds/StrawberryTofu
Summary: Brought together by the same insecurity, five groups of Persona-users across time are dropped into a fighting tournament where all battles must be two-on-two. The incentive for winning the tournament? Only the winner and all those who hail from the winner's time period will be able to leave this mysterious space. (All Persona AU of BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based on a what-if I had of "You know how Persona 4 was in that crossover fighting game, BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle? What if instead of it being a crossover where Persona 4 characters met different universes in a fighting tournament, they met Persona users from the other games in a fighting tournament?" 
> 
> This fic will stay (mostly) true to the format of BBCTB and for that reason, I will start with a short prologue chapter like the original game did. No action, no focus on any specific Persona cast over the other, just setting things up. I hope it's enough to catch everyone's interest though! It was a crossover idea I thought was fun and wanted to write out and share for a long time! (This is also my first time posting on Ao3 so I don't know if wordy notes explaining how the fic will function are the norm)

**Year 1996, Mikage-cho**  
  
"What are you all living for? Isn't.... Isn't it painful?"  
  
"What...?"  
  
Maki turned around to see if any of her companions could answer this question that was too difficult for her. She was only met with blank stares, all of them hoping somebody else could answer this question. This was an awfully profound question from a young girl holding a teddy bear. Mai could see that she wasn't getting an answer at this rate so she directed her attention to the one who appeared the least disturbed.  
  
"What about you mister? What are you living for?"  
  
Naoya did not answer right away. He continued to stare off into space with his usual despondent expression. It made Mai wonder if his mind was somewhere else. Before anyone else could try to awkwardly break the silence, Naoya gave a firm answer that gave the rest of his allies the resolve to follow along.  
  
"To find my own reason."  
  
"Naoya is right. There is sweetness to life." Kei added, almost as if his statement was rehearsed. Naoya could have also sworn he overheard Reiji muttering to himself 'That was one hell of an answer.' Hearing their positive outlooks on life, Mai was convinced to lend her strength to them.  
  
"Okay... Just for you.. I'll let you borrow my compact." Naoya kneeled down to Mai's height, doing his best to appear as welcoming as possible. With a steadily reached out hand, he took Mai's half of the compact.  
  
As the others rejoiced for their step forward, it all became background noise to Maki who was left lost in thought over both Mai's question and Naoya's answer. She couldn't find her reason for living when asked about it, but neither was she sure that she could find one. She thought she had one but for whatever reason, when she started to think about it, it was gone.  
  
_'I'm happy having the life of a normal high school girl with lots of friends. This is why I'm fighting, to get that back... but why does the future seem so fuzzy? I never thought of a life outside of being a high school girl.'_

 

 **Year 1999, Sumaru City**  
  
"Is it hard...being an adult?" 

"Huh?"

Tatsuya felt the eyes of all the adults in the train turning towards him. It was enough to make him feel like as if his question crossed a line he should not have. Even Baofu's cool exterior melted away leaving behind a dumbfounded expression. Feeling regretful about voicing his curiosity he hastily tried to change the subject.  
  
"No...never mind... forget about it." Feeling too shameful over the topic he brought up, Tatsuya was left despondent for the rest of the train ride. Not that there was anything to respond to, everyone was left in awkward silence. At least, that was until Baofu finally had something to say.

"It's the same... there's nothing good. The pain just keeps growing..." Baofu wryly smiled. No one else had anything to add.

Not even cheerful and positive Maya could say anything to lighten the mood. She wanted to raise an objection to talk about the fact she achieved her life wrong dream of becoming a journalist. She then hesitated when she remembered the last conversation with her boss. She was an off-putting woman and every one of her friends agreed with her. Is working from 9 to 5 under such a woman's orders truly that much better than what her life was before?  
  
Clouding out what was going on around him with thoughts, Tatsuya suddenly recalled an event that happened on the Other Side. The time when he visited the antique clock store and the count bid him farewell with these parting words.

_"Who decided that tomorrow will be a bright new day? Such proclamations are the source of man's anxiety. Peace lies with the cold, still past."_

  
****_**Year 2009, Tatsumi Port Island** _  
  
"You know, I've been thinking lately..." Yukari began, facing the sea instead of her two friends who tilted their heads in curiosity, "Once you awaken to the power of Persona, you remember everything that happens during the Dark Hour... It's like trading away your innocence...In exchange for power, you can no longer look away from the things you don't want to see."  
  
Makoto had to admit he never considered that angle and judging by Junpei's expression it was clear he did not either. While it was clear that it was a regretful trade for Yukari, Makoto could have not cared either way. It's not as if there was much life could do to affect his already bleak view of it. After she was done reflecting to the sea, Yukari turned to face the two behind her.  
  
"So I guess I'm stuck with you guys, huh?" She sighed.  
  
"Yup! Now that that's settled let's get back!" The energy behind Junpei's reply was disproportionate to Yukari's regret, as if he did not care either. Makoto continued his blank state. Catching a quick glance at Yukari's face glancing back at him, he allowed the two to go ahead of him to the vacation home. As Makoto was about to join them in returning home, he stopped in his tracks as he felt there was a fourth person in the vicinity. While he was distracted by this sensated, Junpei and Yukari continued to talks amongst themselves.  
  
"You're awfully remiss about this. I thought you of all people would be able to understand what I'm feeling here. I mean, surely you miss not struggling every night knowing a dark hour full of shadows exist too right?"  
  
"Huh? Not really.. doesn't it make you feel special instead?! Not living the life of some boring average teenager?!"  
  
Yukari sighed.

 _**Year 2011, Inaba** _  
  
"Yu... I get it now..." Yosuke sniffled. "I wanted to forget about Saki-senpai. Now she's not here anymore." he repeated, being composed enough to not have a second breakdown. "I wanted to forget that... I was living a boring life in the middle of nowhere."  
  
He looked into Yu's eyes, where the latter saw his friend's puffy red eyes as a result of the uninterrupted sobbing earlier.  
  
"When the murders started, I got excited...I thought there was finally a point to me being in Inaba...I thought I could forget Senpai was gone... and the fact that I was such a loser... I jumped at the murders and never once thought about what I was doing..." He began to cringe and could not look Yu in the eyes anymore. "I... didn't even take the first step... I'm sorry... Saki-senpai. I'm sorry... Yu." Yu felt this was when he should open his mouth.  
  
"Don't apologize." He replied softly. Yosuke raised his head up again,  
  
"But... I got you involved with the case, and all I did was run away from myself... " He insisted. Yosuke sighed as he attempted to release the last of his negative emotions. "But I think I'm awake now... I need to get over the fact that Saki-senpai isn't coming back... That when this case ends... I'll have nowhere to run... And I won't have changed..." Yosuke felt like he was a laughable excuse for a human being now, in comparison to the person in front of him whose mental strength he envied. "...You made me realize that."  
  
Deciding to act as an emotional crutch for Yosuke a little longer, Yu embraced his best friend (as embarrassing as it was for Yosuke) and walked him home. Yosuke was all cried out and did not say a word during their walk. Not even the fact that despite admitting what he realized, it won't change the fact he did not like any of it. The passage of time that will eventually leave him alone only grew more intimidating.  
  
_**Year 2016, Tokyo** _

"I'm sorry, may I bother you all with a question?" It's been a rather dull drive through Mementos so far so Goro decided he wanted to break the silence by getting to learn a little bit about the Phantom Thieves. He knew that as long as they didn't have any secrets to hide, people in general love to talk about themselves if the chance arose.  
  
"Shoot." Ren replied. The detective made a note to himself how sassy Ren was in comparison to when they first met in reality. It made only made him all the more interesting for Goro.  
  
"Thank you!" He smiled beneath his mask. "I recall that when we all gathered around in the cafe, one of you mentioned that I reminded you of yourselves. If it is not too touchy of a subject I would like to ask why that is."  
  
"That was me who said it." Ann pointed out, seeminly disappointed by the fact she wasn't referred to by name. "And I'm okay with it, but why do you want to know about us so much?"  
  
"I simply thought it would be more interesting to learn more about you all. Learn more about the thieves behind the mask!" No one laughed at his joke.  
  
Ann decided to be the first to share her story of being ocstracized from society due to the color her hair and eyes. The rest of the thieves would then take turns sharing their own experiences as their search for the next Mementos target dragged on. Goro took genuine interest in listening to everyone's stories, as much as the rest of the thieves held some doubt about him being genuinely curious about their lives. Futaba however decided to pass on telling her story as she is not comfortable sharing her story to someone she's not extremely close to yet.  
  
"If you want a real effed up story, you should ask Ren. I don't think anyone of us has it as bad as him." Ryuji gestured.  
  
"My story doesn't put cops in a very good light though, you sure you want to listen?" Ren smirked.  
  
"Oh? It may come as a surprise being a detective myself but I too despise most of the police. Do tell please!"  
  
Confident that he had the time, Ren went into full detail of the night he was put into probation for a crime he did not commit. He included that the reason he was in Tokyo was because of the probation and that it was not his home city. He noticed Goro raising an eyebrow to the story but it was not because of doubt.  
  
"I see," Goro scowled "you were exposed to the side of the so-called justice system that I detest. But since you are here on probation, I take it that you be leaving eventually?"  
  
"That's right!"  
  
"I see... that's a shame. I would have liked to have met you earlier then. I truly do appreciate our time together and I will do so even more now that I learned you will be leaving eventually." Ren only eyed him suspiciously. "Truth to be told.. I am enjoying playing Phantom Thieves with you. Changing hearts is... a lot more enjoyable than I thought. I honestly wish we could stay like this."  
  
"It's only gonna come to an end because of you." Futaba commented.

_**????, ????** _

At first there was nothing but darkness. It was a stage that was not yet set up. There was no props and there wasn't even an audience waiting for a show.  
  
That all changed when the hostess of the show appeared on stage along with a spotlight to highlight her appearance. Standing in the center of the closed off world was a young brunette woman dressed as if she was ready to star in a broadway musical. The top hat and skull-tipped cane sealed the appearance she was going for. Her entrance was not only dramatic because of the spotlight but also due to the tipped down top hat shadowing her face to give a sense of mystery.  
  
The immersion of mystery faded when she directed her crimson eyes upward to smile to the audience within her mind.  
  
"Thank you sooo much for waiting!" Her chipper voice broke the defeaning silence. "Have you taken a good look at the candidates eligible for our little show? I've picked out plenty of fan favorites and personal requests so I hope you enjoy my picks. I've even got a few wonderful surprises for you!" She took a brief pause from her announcement to stare into the darkness with her charming smile. Going along with the response in her head, she continued to speak. "I'm glad! I've put some blood and sweat into rounding them all up for you... just kidding I don't bleed or sweat anymore! Anyways, shall we start the show?"  
  
The sound of a snapping finger was heard and several other spotlights joined in to completely cleanse the space of darkness. As the stage props where revealed the stage girl jumped as if this was her first time seeing them. After composing herself from surprise, the girl in the center of it all shared an announcement that was loud enough for the whole world to hear.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen! Persona-users of every different time and place! Boys and girls of all ages! Thank you all so much for coming! Souls of the sea of unconscious! Thank you all so much for waiting! Let the fifth Keystone Scramble Tag Battle Tournament **COMMENCE**!!"

 


	2. Naoya's Story Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of 3 of Naoya's side of the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a long period of having no writing energy.. I finally was able to upload something!
> 
> Originally I was only going to upload a few long chapters and not divide them into parts but I felt impatient and didn't want to continue having long periods between uploads. BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle being old news by now and PQ2's release may make this fic irrelevant now but I'll keep on writing!
> 
> Reminder that I will not write fight scenes as I want to focus on character interaction. Sorry about that!

It was all too sudden for Naoya and his allies to comprehend. In fact, this was probably the first time Naoya had seen Nanjo look so flustered. It seems not even he could see this coming. Maki and Mark were frantically swiveling their heads to take in their new surroundings. Even Reiji’s stone cold face was broken to a raging mess of gritting teeth. He couldn’t blame everyone, as much as Naoya tried to keep his cool he was just as astonished as his companions. No one could stay calm after exploring a forest you thought you figured out only to step into what felt like a brand new world. Especially when a stranger's voice drops the bomb on you that this was the grounds for a tournament you don’t remember entering.  
  
It was all too sudden. To think that moments ago they were traveling this forest like it was just any other place.  
  
_"I'm pretty sure the way out of the forest is this way." Mark pointed towards a gap between the pink trees._ _  
__  
__"Imbecile, we entered from that direction." Nanjo scoffed, pointing straight to a different direction from Mark._ _  
__  
__"Well sor-ry! What makes you so sure it's that way huh?" With neither wanting to admit that they were in the wrong they began to argue. Maki simply stood in the sidelines with Naoya, concerned about the relationships between her friends._ _  
__  
__"Those two sure do argue a lot..is this what friendship between boys is like?" Naoya glanced over at Maki but his only answer was a shrug. Reiji who was standing even further did not have an answer either but Maki doubted he had any friends besides her._ _  
__  
__Sensing the fact that they would be going nowhere at this rate (and Reiji's impatience), Naoya stepped forth between the conflict and decided their direction for them by walking past them. Placing good trust on their leader, Maki and Reiji followed suit. Mark and Nanjo chased after Naoya to object, ultimately leading his entire team down the path he believed was right._ _  
__  
__What was waiting for them was something worse than a demon. The world around Naoya suddenly turned static, it felt like he was playing one of his RPGs and encountered a random enemy. When his surroundings stopped blending into each other, the scenery took on a different shape. The pink trees were gone and the darkened sky was now much brighter. It would be a more relieving sight if it wasn't for the ground being replaced with a red carpet upon concrete. These five visitors would be greeted with a blaring voice._ _  
__  
__"Let the fifth Keystone Scramble Tag Battle Tournament_ ** _COMMENCE_** _!!"_ _  
_  
"The hell is this...? Do you think the DEVA system did this?!" asked Mark.  
  
"Doubtful. I see very little reason for the DEVA system to prepare this." Nanjo refuted, seeming oddly sure of that to be the case. That tone of his only served to get on Mark's nerves.  
  
Naoya barely realized that there was something in his hand, and it was not his sword. Tucked in the palm of his right hand was a purple diamond that he had no recollection of picking up. He glared at it as he tried to jog his memory of any recent demon negotiations that ended with him receiving this.        
  
"Besides that," Maki interjected "What is this Keystone Scramble Tag Battle Tournament? And does it have anything do with us?"  
  
"Oh come on, it's all in the name! How are you guys all lost already?"   
  
It was that same voice from earlier, which made Maki hop in surprise to hear her answering her question. Right before their very eyes, a puff of smoke flared up. As the smoke cleared up, a grinning brunette girl dressed like a magician who _seemed_ to be around the same age as Naoya's party was standing there. She was rather adorable, but hardly trustworthy. Paying no mind of their distrust, the mysterious peppy girl continue to talk.  
  
"Plus, didn't you hear the announcement earlier? I was thanking Persona-users of different whens and wheres for coming. Of course you all have something to do with it! I mean, you guys all are Persona-users riiiight?"  
  
"We are but, who are you?" asked Maki.  
  
"Me?" The girl repeated innocently with a finger pointing towards herself. "Just call me General- wait, did another fighting tournament host already take a name like that? Wait! Host! That's it! Call me the Hostess!" She curtsied. "You could say that I'm like, the moderator of this whole tournament." The Hostess gestured towards Maki with her skull-tipped staff, only making the latter feel more on edge. "Anyways, you don't seem very worldly so I'll just explain in more detail for your sake!" With a clearing of her throat, the Hostess amplified her voice to be heard from the ends of the world.  
  
"LADIES AAAAAAND GENTLEMEN! Let the 36th Keystone Scramble Tag Battle Tournament **COMMENCE**!!"  
  
"The number was five before." Nanjo pointed out in a matter-of-fact manner.  
  
"Woops! But it looks like you've been paying pretty close attention. You must be pretty interested huh?" The Hostess turned her cane to Nanjo, who was not even looking in her direction. Dissatisfied by the look on his face the Hostess decided to say something she knew would get him to turn her way. "Ah hah hah, how about I tell you something you don't know? The rules to this tournament aren't complicated, one of you guys should have a keystone in your hand!"   
  
A jolt of realization shot across Naoya.  
  
"This..?" Before anyone could start checking their pockets, Naoya held out the purple jewel he was so curious about before for everyone else to see.  
  
"Yeah! That's it!" The Hostess beamed. "You've been chosen as the keystone holder! You're our lucky guy..." As much as the Hostess wished to dramatize this, Naoya's blank expression didn't change. She was getting rather peeved at this point by her visitors’ lack of enthusiasm "Hey, think of yourself as like... the protagonist of a video game. You should look more excited than that!"  
  
"Cut to the chase," Nanjo demanded "what is the significance of this stone?"  
  
"Remember when I said it's like being chosen as a video game protagonist? It's supposed to be proof you're a hero! The other contestants in this tournament are gonna come after that stone so that they can try and be the protagonists of this story." The Hostess explained. "Kinda jealous of them actually."  
  
"Yeah... I still don't really get it." Mark scratched the back of his neck "What are we supposed to do?"  
  
"Welllll, if you keep the keystone safe, defeat all the opponents that come after you, and bring the keystone to the goal sitting far, far off from here," The Hostess hopped for dramatic effect and threw her arms in the air "you'll become the champion and get a wonderful prize!"  
  
As much as the Hostess wanted to hype her announcement, none of the contestants standing in front of her appeared very excited.  
  
"I'm not interested." Naoya replied firmly, enough to make her flinch.  
  
"Awww, really? Are you sure? Do you have any idea how much time and effort it took to set everything up?" The Hostess gazed at the others with large eyes filled with tears she welled up on demand.  
  
"We have much more important business than to play along with this farce." Nanjo answered.  
  
"I don't have time for this crap. There's a special place in Hell that can't wait any longer for a bastard named Kandori." Reiji clenched his fist tightly, nursing the grudge within him.  
  
"If it comes from getting into fights with people I've never met before, I don't want any prize!" Said Maki.  
  
"C'mon we've got a city to save. I mean..if you brought us here can't you send us back to Mikage-Cho?" Mark asked.  
  
"What if I told you that was the prize?"  
  
There was a collective gasp from the crowd.   
  
"Ohhh, I knew you'd be interested in that!" The Hostess returned to her usual cheerful persona. "Allow me to make another announcement." As such, she cleared her throat again.

"This tournament's champion and everyone who comes from when the champion lives will...drumroll please... **all be able to go back home!** "    
  
This announcement hit them harder than their arrival to this nonsensical world. They weren't just suddenly thrown off the map. They weren't just going to be asked to get into battles with Persona-users from other places in time. 

They had to win or else they would  **trapped here forever** . 

For the first time in a long while, Naoya felt a chill of despair run down his spine. If this tournament ends in his loss, what would become of Mikage-Cho once they were trapped here? Could he trust his friends like Yukino, Elly and Brown to finish what they started? How would they know Naoya’s party was gone?   
  
No, in truth he was fearful for a different possibility.    
  
Naoya actually wasn’t very attached to reality. He simply wanted to play video games in the dark and forget about the world around him. Once he was finished with his mission, he’s sure he would go back to that life. The idea of being left alone in an unfamiliar world without even video games to comfort him, is what truly scared him,   
  
As leader he wanted to repress his despair, maybe his teammates did as well but Naoya could still see it. Maki looked as if she was on the verge of a breakdown, as if she was being threatened with a punishment she had experienced before but never wanted to again. Mark's entire face spelt 'panic' and Nanjo was looking rather dumbstruck himself, he usually seemed to have an inkling of anything that would happen but this caught him completely off guard.  As for Reiji, Naoya was rather surprised that even someone like the Hostess was not at all intimidated by him glaring daggers at her, grinding his teeth and clenching his fist all the while.    
  
The Hostess simply continued her adorable smile, as if none of their despair mattered to her.   
  
"But why?!" asked Maki "Why are you making us do this?! Why do you want to trap us here?!"   
  
"I already told you, it was a whole lotta work to set this tournament up and I can't just let my efforts go to waste. I mean, how else was I gonna motivate you to participate?!" The hostess replied.    
  
"You're just asking for this place to be your funeral, bitch." Seeing Reiji so talkative for once caught Naoya off guard. "Treating people you feel you have power over however the hell you want.. there's only one word to describe you, garbage."   
  
"Oooh scary!" The Hostess teased, pretending to recoil in fear. "But shouldn't you be saving that murderous intent for somebody else?"    
  
"I've got plenty left to spare for one more." 

"No no no no." She shook her hands, as well as her head. "I meant for your opponents." Right after she said that, the Hostess had a distant stare in her eyes. As if something in the distance had caught her eye. Taking notice of that, Naoya turned around to find what she might have seen. Coming into view were two unrecognizable figures, but he could see the gleam in their eyes indicating they were after one thing. 

"Speaking of opponents, here come your first challengers! Remember, they're coming after your keystone so if you wanna keep your ticket outta here, you better win!"    
  
Now that they were dashing in closer, Naoya could make out the features of his challengers. Judging by the rules of the tournament, they must be Persona-users as well. He could tell the male Persona-user had his hair bleached blonde, similar to how Yuka dyed her own. However the female Persona-user seemed to have natural blonde hair along with blue eyes underneath her cat mask. 'Could she be a foreigner?' Naoya wondered.   
  
Moreover their outfits were quite peculiar, they could pass off as cosplayers.. or burglars. The blonde boy was wearing a predominantly black outfit with a skull mask while the blonde girl was wearing a red latex catsuit with a breast window to fit her matching-colored mask.    
  
"Damn, you were for real Panther. The guy with the earring is holding a stone!" The blonde boy pointed out.   
  
"I'm surprised we managed to find it so quickly! Though we should be careful Skull. If he has the keystone, going up against him might feel like going up against Joker!" Said Panther.   
  
"Eh, he looks like he's as fit as Mishima. We can take him on." Skull assured with a cocky grin.    
  
"What is up with their strange outfits?" Maki asked Mark. "Is that you wear in your world when you change out of your school uniforms?"   
  
"Uh... No." Mark answered awkwardly.   
  
"Well, they are from a different time period. Maybe fashion is different where they are from!" Maki theorized.   
  
"I.. don't think so." As embarrassing as he found Maki's theory Mark couldn't be rude to her about it. "They're probably into that cosplay stuff."   
  
The idle chatter from both sides came to an end once they were face-to-face with each other. Knowing that conflict was arising, Naoya stashed the item they had come to steal into a pocket of his uniform.    
  
"Guess we can't negotiate our way out of this one." Naoya said as he drew out a sword, scowling at his challengers.    
  
"Sorry man. No hard feelings but we ain't a fan of being stuck here either.” He was prepared with a batting stick. “We've got important business to take care of back home." Even though he was an enemy, Naoya could notice the reluctancy under the mask. Even Panther wasn’t excited about releasing her whip to fight.   
  
Not that it mattered to Nanjo.   
  
"We also have important matters that require immediate attention. Matters that would supercede the importance of whatever you burglars are itching to get back to."    
"Burglars?!" Skull flared up. "Man, I'll have you know that we-"   
  
"Woah woah woah stop now!" Until now, everyone else nearly forgot about the presence of the Hostess until she spread her arms out to hush Skull and Nanjo. Skull begrudgingly quieted down but the two continued to glare at each other. "We're here to fight with our weapons and Personas! Not with our mouths." Now that she silenced the quarrel she was not asking for, she folded back her arms then looked towards Skull and Panther. "Thankfully you guys are already grouped into a tag team of two!" She turned her gaze to the St. Hermelin students. "As for you guys, hurry up and decide who's going up! The show can't wait any longer!"     
  
"Huh? What do you mean decide?" asked Maki.   
  
"Do I have to explain this to you too?" The Hostess sighed in exhaustion and shook her head. "This is a TAG battle tournament! All battles here must be in a two-on-two tag team format. As such, five-on-two is a BIG no go and so will one-on-one fights. So you gotta decide which two of you guys wanna register for the fight."     
  
For their first fight, it was a no brainer who would jump in.   
  
"I'll fight." Naoya answered immediately as he brandished his blade.    
  
"  _ Nice _ . Naoya Todou is now registered to battle. Now as for his partner..?"   
  
"Hostess," Nanjo began "register Masao Inaba for his partner."   
  
"You've got it! Masao Inaba is now registered to battle. All four fighters have now been registered! Let the battle begin!" The Hostess declared.   
  
"H-Hey!" Mark stammered. "Why me?! I mean, I think I can take them on but.. I figured you'd choose Reiji instead since it would be  _ logical _ ." Stressing the last word as if he was mocking Nanjo's philosophy.    
  
"I simply looked at the burglar dressed in black and thought it would be charitable of me to grant you two monkeys an opportunity to play with each other." Nanjo explained.   
  
"If you chose me for reasons like that, why not choose Reiji so he could fight someone else who likes to show their chest off the world?" Mark pouted.    
  
"Pull your axe out Mark, our opponents are coming after us." Naoya urged.    
  
"Yeah I gotcha." As instructed, Mark drew his axe out as the rest of their companions were urged to step away from the battlefield. With all their tools out, Naoya and Mark dived straight into battle.   
  
"Dance Carmen!"   
  
"Dance crazier Ogun!"   
  
"Here we go, Seimen Kongou."   
  
"How many people are gonna call me a monkey!? Whoop 'em Captain Kidd!"   
  
(XXX)   
  
"Damn it, looks like they got us good." Skull grunted.   
  
"We should get out of here for now. Let's tell the others to watch out for him!" Panther suggested.   
  
"You guys better not think the Phantom Thieves are through with you yet!" With that, the losers of the match exited the scene as swiftly as they entered it. The Hostess was also gone, it was clear enough who the winner was making her announcement was meaningless.    
  
"I feel bad for them." Maki solemnly stared into the distance their opponent fled to. "I know we want to get back home really badly but they are probably feeling the exact same thing we're feeling. Maybe even more."    
  
"Don't be held back by your guilt." Nanjo sternly advised. "If we do not return home, the lives of an entire city, possibly even the world will be in grave danger. Should we assume our competitors are from the future, they would only return to a barren world overrun by demons. Their inability to leave for the sake of our freedom would be a sacrifice for the greater good."       
  
"Nanjo! How could you say something like that?!" Maki couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sure she knew Nanjo was one to prioritize logic over emotion but he was being downright  _ insensitive _ . 

"It's quite simple really, I listen to my brain rather than the heart." Unable to bear the sight of Maki being talked down to, Mark rushed to her side of the argument.   
  
"You dickweed! We dunno anything about their situations back home! I sure as hell wanna get back home but leaving everyone else stuck here to do that.. that just sounds like somethin' a selfish adult would do. Can't we just.. get all of us free from this place?"   
  
"And I suppose you have a plan in mind as to how we will accomplish that?"    
  
Mark opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out. He reluctantly conceded, grumbling over the fact he felt Nanjo had scored another victory. As usual, Reiji took no part in the debate and neither would Naoya. He would rather disconnect himself from anymore conflict. Feeling that subject was concluded, Nanjo shifted the topic.         
  
"Moreover, this tournament we are in is a tag battle tournament. As we have seen earlier, the Hostess expressed relief over our opponents already being formed into a team of two and we could not participate until we decided on our own pair." Nanjo looked directly at Naoya. "Ergo, if we split up we will greatly decrease the chances of being forced into a battle and lessen the risks of losing our keystone. The only concern would be searching for this goal the hostess mentioned."   
  
"Nanjo has a point. We should split up." Naoya decided.    
  
"Fine with me." Loneliness suited Reiji quite well.   
  
"If it means I won't get into much fights, I'm fine with it!"    
  
"Hey Maki, won't you feel a bit lonely?" Mark faced Nanjo. "I'm going with her!"   
  
"Suit yourselves. You're not the ones with the keystone."    
  
Agreeing to split up, Naoya's party walked their separate paths. Now that he was on his own, Naoya's sole focus was searching for the goal that the Hostess mentioned earlier. That was their only hope for an exit out of this prison they were dragged into.    
  
And the key out was the keystone his team mates entrusted him was. It was up to him to save them from this bloody destiny.   
  
It’s been a while since Naoya was alone. He has been traveling nonstop with four other students tailing behind his back as of recently. There wasn’t any time to rest by himself and play an arcade game with such dire stakes back home. Which wouldn’t stop here either. At least he had a moment of silence now, which was refreshing after the worrisome chatter of his friends and demon cries.    
  
Naoya looked forward to end of his journeys so he could hide from reality again.   
  
Naoya’s thoughts were interrupted by another change of scenery. He had no clue why it happened but he wasn’t ready to jump to the conclusion he was finally free from the tournament. Especially since this was hardly a recognizable place. It appeared he was inside an art museum.. one that needed to show off its wealth by plating all its paintings with gold.    
  
If Naoya had to say what to guess what this meant, perhaps he has traveled to the next level so to speak. Though without a partner he might just be able to simply walk by any potential challengers without worry.    
  
That sounded too good to be true to him.   
  
In fact, Naoya already sensed the presence of another person close by. Probably someone the Hostess intended to be his next ‘mini-boss fight’.  He quickly turned around in reaction to the sound of someone landing on the floor. Who he saw was someone sitting on one knee, facing the floor. His face was obscured by a mask just like his first two opponents, this one being a snow white fox mask. His outfit was also stood out as much as the others, wearing a black jumpsuit and a fake fox tail taped to his rear.    
  
"Excuse me, is that.."      
  
If he's anything like the other masked opponents he is also probably aiming to steal the keystone, Naoya thought. He reached for his sword, preparing to bat away any hands reaching for his key out.   
  
"...lipstick you are wearing?"    
  
Naoya's hand paused. He had figured this new masked stranger would have an eye for his keystone, not his face. It was a strange question, but maybe it was a fake-out to lower his guard. After all, the other masked thieves mentioned informing their allies about him.   
  
It was hard not to feel the masked boy wasn’t being sincere when Naoya noticed the curiosity in his eyes. He dropped his guard and answered his question in a straightforward manner.   
  
"Yes."    
  
"Fascinating! I've never seen a man wearing lipstick in person before." The fox boy beamed. Naoya could have sworn he saw his fake tail perk up as well. The fox boy formed a frame with his fingers and gazed at Naoya through them, capturing an image of his face. "I must make a record of this sight."

Suddenly Naoya noticed a sketchbook within the fox boy’s hands. The fox boy was fervently sketching Naoya’s face with a pencil. Naoya needed no verbal instruction to stay still, but he didn’t expect someone to put that much priority into their artistic studies here of all places.   
  
"You're drawing.. here?"    
  
"Of course." He answered, not removing his eyes from the sketch. "Within an amalgamation of various people and places across times.. surely there are several sights I will not have the chance to see again."   
  
'Phrased as if he’s sure he’ll be able to escape this place' Naoya thought.    
  
"By the way," the fox boy looked up from his sketch "may I ask for your name? And what era did you arrive from?"   
  
"Naoya Todou, 1996." Naoya realized that if Nanjo were here, he would probably be scolding the pierced boy for wasting time making idle chatter with a stranger. Though Naoya felt no reason to care if the keystone was alright.    
  
"1996?" Fox boy furrowed his brow "I don’t recall lipstick being a trend among men at that time. Nevertheless your own unique aesthetic is worth remembering." Now that Naoya had introduced himself, he decided to ask the same in return. He really needed a proper name from this stranger.    
  
"Can you tell me your name and year?" He asked softly.   
  
"I’m afraid I am able to reveal my true name, but you may call me Fox." Similar title to the first two opponents Naoya met, he must be affiliated with them. Given how he seems to be in his own little world of art, it's not surprising he did not seem to get the memo from the other thieves. "I am from the year 2016. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Todou-san."    
  
Are costumes like this a trend in 2016 or is this their unique aesthetic?    
  
Fox went right back to focusing on his art.  He certainly appeared to be a lot more openly passionate about art then the two artists Naoya is acquainted with. It seemed like it was always on his mind, not even being trapped in a fighting tournament had stopped his hand from drawing. This unstoppable amount of passion for his interests reminded Naoya of Elly. Although it was a secret until recently, she couldn’t resist rambling about the occult once their home city was attacked by demons.    
  
Naoya would like to ask these two what it felt like to be passionate about something in life.   
  
His train of thought was interrupted when he heard two unfamiliar voices entering the scene.   
  
"What'd you say punk?! I'll show you who’s the manlier man!" Said a brash voice.

"Listen. I'm always up for a challenge, but as much as I'd like to train with you I can't. One-on-one matches aren't allowed here. We both need a partner to back us up in the ring." Said a calmer, deeper voice.   
  
Naoya groaned as he quickly realized what this could mean. Two people looking for a fight were coming this way. With Fox here they would have all the set up necessary to be locked into a battle. He had to leave to ensure the safety of his keystone.    
  
"I have to go." Naoya told Fox before attempting to flee from the scene.    
  
"Hey punk! Don't you dare try to run from Kanji frickin' Tatsumi!" The brash voice threatened.    
  
Naoya did not know the meaning behind the name 'Kanji Tatsumi' but catching a glimpse of his pursuer did reveal a little. He was another bleached blonde boy with his hair slicked back. Unlike the first one he was wearing a school uniform, with a skull T-shirt underneath his jacket instead which Naoya concluded he had no connection to the other strangers he met. Naoya also caught a quick glimpse of another boy with silver short hair and a bandage on his forehead. His school uniform was different than the other blonde boy's. Naoya  wasn’t going to allow a punk kid and his new friend to cause him to stop running. What would stop him was his curiosity when Fox suddenly called out to them.   
  
"You two!" Fox halted with an outstretched hand "I am very interested in sketching you both before you leave."   
  
"You want to draw us?" The silver-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "Here?" He seemed just as dumbfounded as Naoya was earlier.     
  
"Yes," Fox simply answered "You both bear a resemblance to the herculean figures in paintings from history. I would very much appreciate being able to sketch your physique with you in the flesh before me"   
  
"So what you're saying is.. you wanna draw how manly we are?" With the flex of his right arm, Kanji shouted "Then draw me dammit! Make me look real manly too!" He seemed just as passionate as Fox appeared right now about being an art model.     
  
"Thank you, then can you remove some clothing?"    
  
"What?!"    
  
Naoya and the silver-haired boy gave suspicious glances at Fox, Naoya had to wonder how one could be so forward about this request. Kanji however, his face had turned beet red. At first it was flushed in humiliation, before it started bubbling with rage. Naoya could almost see the steam flowing out of his face.   
  
"So, what you're really asking me to do is to beat the shit of you right?" He smashed his fist into the palm of his other hand. Naoya guessed that this should be the part where he’s supposed to feel sorry. It was even harder for him to muster up his empathy when Fox looked equally as indifferent as Naoya. A bit disappointed looking even. As if he had no fear of Kanji.   
  
"I'm afraid I would have to decline your offer to 'beat the shit out of me'. It hardly sounds pleasant."    
  
Suddenly the rage was drained from Kanji's face as it turned white as a sheet. The terrifying glare went into a terrified look on his eyes as he pointed a trembling finger towards Fox's direction. Naoya and the silver-haired boy could see the reason why he was so terrified, although Naoya was not nearly as fazed. He had an inkling things would come to this eventually.   
  
"Hmm?" Fox turned around to see what was rendering Kanji speechless. He noticed that the painting of the young woman hanging from the museum wall was suddenly animating. Next her legs were emerging from the painting as if they were rising out of a puddle. She soon jumped out of the painting, cleanly leaving behind a blank background in the painting.

  
"I could arrange to have some shit for you to beat tough guy,  **cause it's time for another tag team battle!** "       
  
'Shit' Naoya gritted his teeth. He had allowed himself to get distracted and now he had to pay the price. Now was the opportunity to draw his blade. He glared at those would now become his potential enemies, including Fox. Of course, the two who recently arrived appeared rather eager to fight considering that was what they were searching for earlier.   
  
"I know none of you guys are from the same time period but could you pleeeeease choose someone among yourselves to be your tag team partner? Thanks." The Hostess instructed.

Naoya hesitated on choosing a partner among these total strangers. Kanji and the silver-haired boy returned the combative stare within his eyes. What would happen instead was someone else choosing Naoya as his partner.   
  
"May I team up with you? It does appear to be my fault you're forced into this brawl. It's the most I can make it up to you." Fox removed the sheath of his own blade as he stood alongside his fellow swordsman.   
  
Naoya had to admit he was relieved it was Fox that would become his partner.   
  
"Yeah."   
  
“Naoya Todou and Fox are now registered to battle! Thanks for making my life easier you guys.” The Hostess pointed a finger at the remaining two. “That means you guys are a team now! So I’ll just register Kanji Tatsumi and Akihiko Sanada to the battle, ‘kay?”

“Fine with me.” Akihiko smirked “I thought I would be sparring with Kanji but I’m also eager to find out how my fists would against a sword fighter.” 

“Just as long as I get to beat both those punks” Kanji slammed his fists together before charging while yelling in fury. 

“This is what happens when you try to run from Kanji Tatsumi and tell him to take off his clothes dammit! Take-Mikazuchi-!!!”

“..Protect us Seimen Kongou…”

“We won’t lose! Polydeuces!”

“ Let’s go Goemon!”

(XXX)

“God dammit…” Kanji muttered with this face flat on the floor as he had twice the amount of bandages Akihiko was wearing. The latter looking over him concerningly.

“I didn’t even need a reference to read his moves.” Fox cooly said as he placed his blade back in its sheath. 

Naoya also noticed the Hostess was gone again, it seemed strange that for an announcer she wouldn’t even feel like announcing the winner. At least it was obvious he won again and got to keep his right to escape.

Same can’t be said for his partner however, as triumphant as he appeared.  

“I gotta hand it to you,” Akihiko stood before Naoya with an open hand outstretched “that was a great match.” 

Naoya shook hands with Akihiko, with his grim expression still in tact. He also appears rather cheerful in spite of the fact he lost. Either they had enough optimism they would make it out alright, or were totally fine with the possibility they would be sealed within this odd dimension. 

Naoya wouldn’t press on the subject with them.

“I have to leave now.. you were a good battle partner.” He said to Fox.

“The feeling is mutual. Although your victory wouldn’t benefit the chances of me and my friends’ escape from here, I wish you good luck.  Farewell.” Said Fox.

Naoya hesitated leaving Fox alone for a bit, but he managed to push himself to leave the scene before things would become too awkward.

He wonders if Fox would steal his keystone if presented the opportunity. 

**Author's Note:**

> Some more notes to explain how I plan to format the fic to sorta give less confusion.
> 
> For those unfamiliar with the original BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle game, every series had their own dedicated story in the game's story mode. They were also all an AU where the protagonist of the respective series wins the tournament (BlazBlue Story? Ragna wins the tournament. Persona 4 Story? Yu wins the tournament. Kinda like how Persona 4 Arena's story worked for those familiar with the game.) Since this fic plans to be true to the original game, I will give every Persona cast their own dedicated chapter that is an AU where their respective protagonist wins the tournament. I'll conclude the fic with a 'true ending' that involves all protagonists working together, just like the original game did. Expect the chapter line-up to look something like this;
> 
> -Persona 1 chapter with Naoya as the main character
> 
> -Persona 2 chapter with Maya as the main character
> 
> -Persona 3 chapter with Makoto as the main character
> 
> -Persona 4 chapter with Yu as the main character
> 
> -Persona 5 chapter with Ren as the main character
> 
> -True ending where all protagonists work together to take down the mastermind
> 
> To be even more true to source, I will probably not write out the fight scenes. Just like how in BBCTB the fights happen in gameplay and not written out in the story. I'm sorry if anyone was looking forward to reading fight scenes! I mainly just want to write crossover interactions and reactions to being placed in such a scenario.


End file.
